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Rain Partier

thefourthman wrote:stop reading series books. Those are the only books I see it in... or fuckers like Patterson where it doesn't matter if the book is part of a series, they are all the same.

MMPB do not equal most books.

Ok, that's what I thought too.

But even if it was done to ape the MMPB format, I still think it's out of place--La Chanson de Roland is an 11th C book and I would've gone with one sensible recap page done in the style of an illuminated manuscript or something at the front. Unfortunately, seeing all that publicity jazz there did not put me in the mind of reading literature, or even something literature-related, but made the comic feel cheapened upon opening.

Rain Partier

thefourthman wrote:stop reading series books. Those are the only books I see it in... or fuckers like Patterson where it doesn't matter if the book is part of a series, they are all the same.

MMPB do not equal most books.

Ok, that's what I thought too.

But even if it was done to ape the MMPB format, I still think it's out of place--La Chanson de Roland is an 11th C book and I would've gone with one sensible recap page done in the style of an illuminated manuscript or something at the front. Unfortunately, seeing all that publicity jazz there did not put me in the mind of reading literature, or even something literature-related, but made the comic feel cheapened upon opening.

Rain Partier

thefourthman wrote:I just wouldn't have bought the damn thing. Your book isn't any good, but you paid all these people to praise it. That's the mindset five pages of that shit puts me in.

That's the problem with those publicity blurbs, they don't even guarantee the person read it these days, much less liked it. In the book-world, it's often a quid pro quo kind of thing. Not always. But enough to make them sort of despicable upon sight.

A well-written introduction by another writer who is a true fan of the author or book in question is infinitely more preferable (and readable, sometimes!).

Rain Partier

thefourthman wrote:I just wouldn't have bought the damn thing. Your book isn't any good, but you paid all these people to praise it. That's the mindset five pages of that shit puts me in.

That's the problem with those publicity blurbs, they don't even guarantee the person read it these days, much less liked it. In the book-world, it's often a quid pro quo kind of thing. Not always. But enough to make them sort of despicable upon sight.

A well-written introduction by another writer who is a true fan of the author or book in question is infinitely more preferable (and readable, sometimes!).

Rain Partier

Some of you do make 1-5 sound like an ok read--this might be an odd transition issue that was just hard to penetrate without having read them.

Although fourthy's review makes me think it was not the greatest transition issue ever. But it has to be better having read 1-5. Some people won't mind the different faux-websites and the like, but I hope it isn't a trend in upcoming issues.

Rain Partier

Some of you do make 1-5 sound like an ok read--this might be an odd transition issue that was just hard to penetrate without having read them.

Although fourthy's review makes me think it was not the greatest transition issue ever. But it has to be better having read 1-5. Some people won't mind the different faux-websites and the like, but I hope it isn't a trend in upcoming issues.

"Being offended is not to be confused with a state of grace; it’s the occasional price we all pay for living in an open society." -- Ian McEwan

Outhouse Editor

House of J wrote:Some of you do make 1-5 sound like an ok read--this might be an odd transition issue that was just hard to penetrate without having read them.

Although fourthy's review makes me think it was not the greatest transition issue ever. But it has to be better having read 1-5. Some people won't mind the different faux-websites and the like, but I hope it isn't a trend in upcoming issues.

He has done it periodically, but it has not been an every issue thing. Seems to me it happened a couple times in the first issue and maybe the second.

I really think issue 5 just killed the books momentum. I will probably read the trade to figure it all out.

Outhouse Editor

House of J wrote:Some of you do make 1-5 sound like an ok read--this might be an odd transition issue that was just hard to penetrate without having read them.

Although fourthy's review makes me think it was not the greatest transition issue ever. But it has to be better having read 1-5. Some people won't mind the different faux-websites and the like, but I hope it isn't a trend in upcoming issues.

He has done it periodically, but it has not been an every issue thing. Seems to me it happened a couple times in the first issue and maybe the second.

I really think issue 5 just killed the books momentum. I will probably read the trade to figure it all out.

Outhouse Editor

good. I am glad someone appreciates it. I know I don't. It is wool and it makes my belly itch. Some people have suggested this might not be a problem if I wore clothes underneath it. But I am incredulous.

good. I am glad someone appreciates it. I know I don't. It is wool and it makes my belly itch. Some people have suggested this might not be a problem if I wore clothes underneath it. But I am incredulous.

Rain Partier

Punchy wrote:I just don't get why you should care so much about promo quotes, rip them out of a book? Why? It's harmless!

I can understand your problems with the book itself... but this is the same as bashing a comic because you don't like how the Editor writes the Letter column.

If the letters column (a rarity these days) had been so ham-handedly placed like the blurb-fest, I would've mentioned it too. To be honest, I would prefer a real letters column with honest reactions to the book over it.

PS When I still bought a number of magazines monthly, I'd tear out all the ads just to see what was left--not much often.

Rain Partier

Punchy wrote:I just don't get why you should care so much about promo quotes, rip them out of a book? Why? It's harmless!

I can understand your problems with the book itself... but this is the same as bashing a comic because you don't like how the Editor writes the Letter column.

If the letters column (a rarity these days) had been so ham-handedly placed like the blurb-fest, I would've mentioned it too. To be honest, I would prefer a real letters column with honest reactions to the book over it.

PS When I still bought a number of magazines monthly, I'd tear out all the ads just to see what was left--not much often.

Staff Writer

House of J wrote:If the letters column (a rarity these days) had been so ham-handedly placed like the blurb-fest, I would've mentioned it too. To be honest, I would prefer a real letters column with honest reactions to the book over it.

PS When I still bought a number of magazines monthly, I'd tear out all the ads just to see what was left--not much often.

Staff Writer

House of J wrote:If the letters column (a rarity these days) had been so ham-handedly placed like the blurb-fest, I would've mentioned it too. To be honest, I would prefer a real letters column with honest reactions to the book over it.

PS When I still bought a number of magazines monthly, I'd tear out all the ads just to see what was left--not much often.

Rain Partier

Punchy wrote:I think TV reviews and comics reviews are very different, Vertigo aren't going to pay Newsarama for a positive review, they don't have the money for it.

Maybe Newsarama, like everyone else, just really liked the book?

Well, I don't read the Newsarama stuff anymore, but I didn't notice any difference myself. NBC or whatever network that was on didn't pay them either, I am certain. It's more about the desire to please rather than critically view a thing--and I was just kidding earlier in the thread when I pegged you as a "pleaser", BTW.

It's a difficult balance for any reviewer sometimes.

In regards to the authenticity of each and every blurb--it'd be hard to say without having more context to go with the quotes, and I don't even have the issue at hand at this moment.

I think you're just trying to sidetrack the original question, though, which was why were they the first page-and-a-half of this issue?

Rain Partier

Punchy wrote:I think TV reviews and comics reviews are very different, Vertigo aren't going to pay Newsarama for a positive review, they don't have the money for it.

Maybe Newsarama, like everyone else, just really liked the book?

Well, I don't read the Newsarama stuff anymore, but I didn't notice any difference myself. NBC or whatever network that was on didn't pay them either, I am certain. It's more about the desire to please rather than critically view a thing--and I was just kidding earlier in the thread when I pegged you as a "pleaser", BTW.

It's a difficult balance for any reviewer sometimes.

In regards to the authenticity of each and every blurb--it'd be hard to say without having more context to go with the quotes, and I don't even have the issue at hand at this moment.

I think you're just trying to sidetrack the original question, though, which was why were they the first page-and-a-half of this issue?